Consumers use the Prime Buyer's Report to avoid the scam, fraud, and businesses with low customer satisfaction.

Independent research conducted by Prime Buyer's Report editors includes phone call surveys with customers of local businesses, checks with state agencies on license and complaint history, verification that each business has insurance coverage to protect you as a customer, phone interviews of business owners, signed agreements that they use only legal workers, and more to determine the businesses that are safe to spend with.

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Resources About Retaining Walls in Napa County

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How to Get the Best Retaining Walls in Napa County CA

A retaining wall is used to to contain a higher level of ground or prevent down-slope movement of soil. This means a retaining wall can be anything from a 3 foot garden wall to a large wall to hold back an entire hillside. A retaining wall can be made of many different materials including wood, redwood, pressure treated wood, timber, log, steel beam, brick, cement, cinder block, stone, cabrion cage and more. A retaining wall needs to function properly to prevent collapsing, but for many people the visual appeal is also important.

The following research by The Prime Buyer's Report lists the best retaining wall contractors in Napa County CA and the issues related to hiring them.

How to Get the Best Retaining Walls in Napa County CA

Retaining wall contractors in Napa County can build different types of new retaining walls such as gravity wall, piling wall, cantilever wall and anchored, and do so in a variety of materials and aesthetic design choices such as redwood, timber, pressure treated wood, log, steel, rebar, cabrion, cement, stone, tiered, etc. They will also perform retaining wall repair.

In California, there is no single license classification for retaining walls specifically, but a licensed contractor is necessary and the exact license classification the contractor performs under is often determined by the specific materials that company uses or the size and complexity of the retaining wall. The fact there is not a single license classification for the building of a retaining wall is all the more reason to choose only a contractor proven experienced as retaining wall builders in Napa County.

If the retaining wall contractor has employees, they are required to have workers' compensation insurance for your protection. If an employee of theirs were to be injured on your property and the company doesnt have that coverage, the injured employee could file suit against your property insurance resulting in higher premiums for you or even outright cancellation, or a suit against you if your own insurance won't cover it.

Companies for the building of a retaining wall in Napa County are not legally required to have general liability insurance, however all retaining wall contractors bearing The Prime Buyer's Report—TOP 10 designation have general liability insurance coverage which reimburses their client in the event of any damages, in addition to passing all other requirements for certification as Prime Buyer's Report—TOP 10 such as our research phone calls to their previous clients, hiring only documented workers, verified license and workers' comp insurance, clean complaint record, and more.

Types of Retaining Walls

Four common types of retaining walls are Gravity, Cantilever, Piling, and Anchored.

A gravity retaining wall is the simplest type, one that relies on its own weight to hold the earth piled against it.

Compared to the gravity retaining wall, the cantilever retaining wall adds a lever arm at the base, extending below the earth being held back, so the weight and pressure of that pile of earth acts as an opposing force to the lateral pressure of that same earth.

A piling retaining wall extends long piles far below ground so that the wall is fixed by the soil on both sides of it. If the material of which the piles are made can resist the bending forces of the earth piled against it, this wall can take high loads.

An anchored retaining wall is one where cables are driven into the rock or soil the wall is meant to retain, fixed by expanding anchors. The anchored wall can be combined with the other types of retaining walls.

Questions to Ask Retaining Wall Contractors in Napa Valley CA

When it comes to building a retaining wall in Napa County CA, ask these questions about the abilities, experience, and credentials of the contractors you're considering hiring:

• How many other retaining walls have they done specifically in Napa County, indicating how familiar or not they are with your local building ordinances, soil conditions, and rainfall.

• Can the retaining wall builder give you names and numbers of previous customers who you can call as references? (All retaining wall builders bearing the Prime Buyer's Report—TOP 10 symbol have already had their customer references called by research staff at The Prime Buyer's Report so you don't have to.)

• Do the retaining wall contractors have experience in the same kind of project as yours, such as the exact type of retaining wall (piling, gravity,anchored, or cantilever), the same size retaining wall (or larger), and using the exact same kind of material (wood, steel I-beams, cement, stone, etc)?

• What formula do they use to determine pricing?

• Will the retaining wall contractors provide written estimates and if so, will it detail the exact type of material to be used including the amount of material, its dimensions, composition, and if applicable, the brand name, allowing you to make accurate comparisons among bids?

• What permits for the retaining wall are required for your area of Napa County? Will they be pulling the necessary permits or do they expect you to do that? If they will, is that cost included in their price quote or is it extra and by how much? Be aware that unpermitted work can prevent you from selling the property and even subject you to hefty fines and repair fees to get it to code.

• Can the company demonstrate that all their employees sent to your property are legal to work in the U.S.? (All retaining wall contractors bearing The Prime Buyer's Report—TOP 10 symbol have already signed an agreement to only hire documented workers.)

• Can they show you proof of active workers' compensation and liability insurance? (All retaining wall companies bearing the Prime Buyer's Report—TOP 10 symbol have already had proof of insurance verified by our research staff so you don't have to.)

• In preparation for a written bid for your evaluation, what process will they undertake to do a thorough assessment of the site, including soil conditions, local building codes, and more?

• Will they provide a written warranty for their labor beyond the 1 year warranty mandated by the state of California?

• How will they handle cost overruns due to inadequate planning and will this be specified in the written contract? Do they guarantee to absorb any such costs or will they expect you to?

• Do they give any kind of guarantee of completion by your deadline date?

• How well do the retaining wall contractors know their crews? Do they personally hire and train their crews, or do they bring them in from the outside on a project-by-project basis?

• How often and when do they clean up your job site?

• If the retaining wall is residential, will you have access to your property during the project?

When you've chosen the most suitable contractor for your exact kind of retaining wall in Napa County CA make sure they are licensed with a state contractor's license. (All retaining wall contractors bearing the Prime Buyer's Report—TOP 10 symbol have already had their license verified by research staff at The Prime Buyer's Report so you don't have to.)

Consumers use the Prime Buyer's Report to avoid the scam, fraud, and businesses with low customer satisfaction.

Independent research conducted by Prime Buyer's Report editors includes phone call surveys with customers of local businesses, checks with state agencies on license and complaint history, verification that each business has insurance coverage to protect you as a customer, phone interviews of business owners, signed agreements that they use only legal workers, and more to determine the businesses that are safe to spend with.